Targeting Agricultural Electricity Subsidies in Haryana

The report finds that agricultural electricity subsidies in Haryana are regressive, with the wealthiest farmers receiving a disproportionate share of benefits. It suggests transitioning to solar-powered irrigation via the PM-KUSUM scheme, introducing slab-based tariffs, and improving the identification of poor farmers through inter-agency coordination.

• Agricultural electricity subsidies in Haryana are regressively distributed, with the wealthiest two quintiles of farmers receiving 50% of the subsidies, while the poorest two quintiles receive 30%.
• When analyzed by landholding size, marginal farmers receive the lowest monthly subsidy (INR 647), while semi-medium farmers receive the highest (INR 950), potentially due to semi-medium farmers selling groundwater to smaller farmers.
• The adoption of solar pumps in Haryana is low, with only 4% of surveyed pump owners using solar technology, while 62% use electric pumps and 34% use diesel pumps.
• There is a significant lack of awareness regarding the PM-KUSUM scheme, with only approximately 17% of surveyed landowners having heard of it, despite 73% expressing a likelihood to participate after receiving an explanation.
• The report recommends introducing slab-based tariffs to replace flat-rate tariffs, requiring high-power users to pay higher rates to reduce the financial burden on DISCOMs and curb excessive groundwater extraction.
• To accurately identify low-income farmers for targeting, the report suggests that DISCOMs coordinate with state agencies that maintain registries for welfare schemes, such as NREGA or subsidized grain programs.

APA

Viswamohanan, A., Sharma, S., Aklin, M., & Moerenhout, T. (2022). Targeting Agricultural Electricity Subsidies in Haryana. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2022-04/targeting-agricultural-electricity-subsidies-haryana.pdf

Chicago

Viswamohanan, Anjali, Shruti Sharma, Michaël Aklin, and Tom Moerenhout. Targeting Agricultural Electricity Subsidies in Haryana. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2022. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2022-04/targeting-agricultural-electricity-subsidies-haryana.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Viswamohanan |first1=Anjali |last2=Sharma |first2=Shruti |last3=Aklin |first3=Michaël |last4=Moerenhout |first4=Tom |title=Targeting Agricultural Electricity Subsidies in Haryana |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=April 2022 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2022-04/targeting-agricultural-electricity-subsidies-haryana.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{viswamohanan2022targeting, author = {Viswamohanan, Anjali and Sharma, Shruti and Aklin, Michaël and Moerenhout, Tom}, title = {{Targeting Agricultural Electricity Subsidies in Haryana}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2022}, month = apr, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2022-04/targeting-agricultural-electricity-subsidies-haryana.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }